Eel River Headwaters Restoration Project

The Eel River Headwaters Restoration Project was completed in 2010 by the Town of Plymouth with state and federal partners. It was Massachusetts’ first full-scale cranberry bog restoration, transforming approximately 60 acres of former commercial cranberry farmland into self-sustaining freshwater wetlands and Atlantic white cedar swamp. The restored site is now managed by the Town as the Eel River Preserve, a 130-acre public property with about 3 miles of trails and 1.7 miles of free-flowing river. Public parking available for Eat River Preserve is located at Boot Pond Road and Long Pond Road, Plymouth, MA.

Restoration Actions

• Removed Sawmill Pond Dam, two undersized culverts, and seven smaller barriers.
• Reconstructed approximately 8,000 feet (1.7 miles) of stream channel.
• Added 1,000 pieces of large wood for aquatic habitat.
• Completed ~48,000 cubic yards of earthmoving to fill ditches and restore natural hydrology.
• Planted 17,000 Atlantic white cedar saplings to restore a globally rare swamp type (temporary deer fencing was installed to protect young cedar trees from browse)

Outcomes

• Restored natural groundwater and surface water connectivity.
• Atlantic white cedars now exceed 15 feet in height and are naturally regenerating.
• River herring have returned upstream of Long Pond Road after nearly 100 years of disconnection.
• Early colonization by Drosera rotundifolia (round-leaved sundew) and other native wetland species observed.

Project Partners

• Town of Plymouth (landowner)
• Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration (DER)
• Inter-Fluve, Inc. (design engineer)
• SumCo Eco-Contracting (construction)
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS)
• USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
• The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
• American Rivers
• Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (MassDEP)

Recognition

• 2011 Coastal America Partnership Award, presented by the U.S. Department of the Interior.
• 2018 Restoration Project Award, Society for Ecological Restoration (New England Chapter).

More information

1. Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration — Eel River Headwaters Restoration (Plymouth) https://www.mass.gov/info-details/eel-river-headwaters-restoration-plymouth
2. North and South Rivers Watershed Association — Eel River Preserve https://www.nsrwa.org/listing/eel-river-preserve/
3. Inter-Fluve — Eel River Project Profile (Society for Ecological Restoration) https://interfluve.com/eel-river-ser/
4. Inter-Fluve — Eel River Headwaters Restoration & Sawmill Dam Removals https://interfluve.com/2020/eel-river-headwaters-restoration-sawmill-dam-removals/?portfolioCats=78